Fragmented
by Skye
Summary: Yumi immediately remembers the pink-haired girl, although no one else can. Yumi/Aelita
1. Forgetting to Forget

_Notes: AU? Was going to be a one-shot, then I thought it might be fun to do a lot more with this..._

**Fragmented**

**Chapter 1: Forgetting to Forget**

Yumi paused from her exercises as she saw the two boys approaching her. Ulrich... He was sometimes good to practice with, but his rudeness and callousness made it not really worth interacting with him. Though she suspected some of the awkwardness could be contributed to his little crush on her... But that didn't mean she had to like him back, or like what he did at all, did it?

Despite Yumi grabbing her bag, getting ready to go somewhere else, maybe home, maybe to the library, the two boys kept approaching her. She started walking away, but Ulrich's friend shouted a "Hey!" her way, and she reluctantly turned around.

"What is it?" Yumi asked irritably.

"Is that any way to greet us? We were just making a friendly gesture to start some casual conversation. Weren't we?" Ulrich's friend winked over at Ulrich, who avoided eye contact with everyone else there, his manner anything but friendly.

Yumi acted similarly, glaring at the two, ready to walk past them.

"Come on, now's your chance," Ulrich's friend whispered toward him.

"Give it up, will you, Odd?" Ulrich hissed back.

Yumi could easily hear the conversation, although she paid no attention, now completely distracted by the sight of the pink-haired girl walking around campus. Yumi felt something, staring at this girl. She'd never believed in something like this before, but could it be love? But really, Yumi thought as she fought her blush, love at first sight? Still, there was something about her. She was talking to someone... Someone in Ulrich's grade, Yumi was pretty sure. "New girl?" she said to the boys.

"Na, she's related to Mr. Delmas or something. And she's so going to be my next girlfriend," Ulrich's strange friend declared.

"She practically ran screaming from you. And I'm starting to relate to that sentiment," Ulrich replied.

"You exaggerate. You know you love me too, and this girl was so into my charms. She was only playing a little hard to get."

"Aelita..." Yumi said aloud.

"Huh?" Ulrich said.

"It's Aelita! Don't you remember? Ulrich? Odd?" Yumi wasn't sure why she suddenly remembered the same of Ulrich's short, annoying friend. But in some cases he wasn't be that bad... But how could she know that? Yes, she knew them both very well, she was friends with both of them, and Aelita... Aelita...

Yumi turned around, seeing Aelita's pink hair now farther off in the distance. As the boys seemed perplexed, Odd laughing and joking about something or the other, Yumi ran away, going after her.

It took a while to catch up, chasing as Aelita was headed away from the main campus. She finally caught up with her in the park. "Aelita!" Yumi called.

Aelita turned around, looking her way. Her expression seemed shocked, and she backed away. Yumi approached her, and then she began to run.

Yumi was surprised but took chase again, determined to not lose sight of her. As they came to a certain part of the park, Yumi was sure there was an exit, and felt all the more determined to catch up to her. She finally did, crashing into Aelita as she bent down, finding herself sprawled on top of her. Aelita moved to get away, but Yumi pushed her down, surprised at her own desperation.

At that moment, she finally was able to take it all in. Aelita... She couldn't remember everything, but remembered enough to know who Aelita was. Aelita was her fellow Lyoko Warrior, a beautiful and kind girl that she loved. She also remember enough to know that she should recall much more. Why had she forgotten everything in the first place?

"You... you know me?" Aelita asked.

"Aelita... Of course..." Yumi said, reaching down and hugging her.

"Yumi..." Aelita said, her face, already flushed from the chase, beginning to blush more.

"How could I forget you?" Yumi asked. It wasn't a rhetorical question.

"Come with me... To the factory. I'll tell you there," Aelita said.

As Yumi followed Aelita down into the sewer, she began to remember exactly what the factory was. Their homebase. A gateway to another world. In that other world she was much more powerful than here, not only that, but it was Aelita's home. Yes, that was it... Though for some reason Yumi also remembered being Aelita's dorm room at Kadic. Things were becoming clearer, though everything was still muddled. One thing Yumi was sure of was her own strong feelings toward Aelita.

But Aelita was different now. She had changed, somehow. There were her plain black sweats, Yumi could remember her wearing something much more cheerful before. Actually, most things about her were cheerier in memories. The sad Aelita that turned to face her after pressing the button on the elevator, she was very different from the Aelita of her emerging memories.

"What happened to you?" Yumi asked.

"I... Well, it's nothing new," Aelita said, casually walking into the elevator.

Yumi followed her. "This is a little new to me now... I mean, I didn't even know I should remember it until just now." As the elevator doors opened, she looked at the supercomputer. "Jeremy..." She suddenly recalled the name of another who had been part of their group. "Is he-"

"He's the same as you," Aelita informed as she sat down at the computer. "I didn't know it was possible for any of you to remember me in the first place."

"Ulrich and Odd, they saw you, and didn't?"

"That's true. But you..."

"Maybe it's because I love you, I think that's what triggered it," Yumi said.

"Um..." Aelita continued to type as she blushed.

"I mean... Was it a secret? That we were together? It probably was..." Yumi was also embarrassed of her own bluntness. "I don't have the whole picture. Not just yet. But I'll remember it all, I'm sure."

"Yes..." Aelita said, purposely ambiguous as to what exactly she was responding to. "I could use your help in Lyoko."

"Of course," Yumi said. She remembered helping Aelita so many times before. But if Aelita wanted her help, why had she run away?

"It's set to automatically virtualize us. Do you remember what to do?"

"Yeah," Yumi said, deciding those questions could be saved until later. "Virtualization wasn't hard, for me, anyway," Yumi said.

Aelita smiled, looking more like the person that Yumi remembered. The two of them headed to the virtualization chambers, soon being virtualized into Lyoko. Yumi looked around at the all too familiar computerized setting, surrounded by the desert sector of Lyoko. But it hadn't all been a desert... "What do we need to do? Is there a tower activated?"

"Right. Well, not exactly, but I do need to do something in a tower, and you can protect me on the way. Just over here."

Aelita tugged Yumi in the direction of the tower she could see. "I see it," Yumi said. The two ran alongside each other. Yumi gave a quiet giggle, and then Aelita giggled as well, laughing as they headed to the tower.

Yumi couldn't immediately remember how to get inside the tower, but Aelita soon pulled her in. As Yumi observed the platform in front of her, and the abyss to the side of it, she became wary. "Don't worry," Aelita assured. "There's nothing dangerous about this place."

As Aelita walked forward, Yumi followed. They reached the center and then stopped. Yumi looked at Aelita, smiling. Aelita smiled back, looking to the side. Yumi touched her face lightly, and Aelita closed her eyes. Yumi leaned in closer, bending down slightly, only to be surprised as she and Aelita began to float upwards. Aelita opened her eyes now, giggling at Yumi's reaction.

They soon reached an upward platform. Aelita went toward a computer console, and Yumi stood toward the side, a bit embarrassed. Of course Aelita obviously had important things to do. Things they did in Lyoko were always important. Making a mistake could cost not only their lives, but the lives of many others. Aelita had to always be ready to sacrifice herself... Yumi would do the same, she thought to herself... But Yumi had a feeling that her own sacrifice wouldn't mean as much. Why would that be?

As Yumi perplexed over her emerging memory of past events, Aelita went through the files as quickly as she could, completely absorbed in her work. "There. I think it's ready now."

"Hm?" Yumi turned her way curiously.

As Yumi turned to face her, Aelita hid the black energy until the last possible second. When Yumi was right by her, she turned around and hit her. "Please, don't remember me this time," Aelita requested as Yumi disappeared. "You just have to forget..." she muttered, now to herself.

How had this happened? An error in the programming? Aelita would definitely have to be careful in the future. Though Ulrich and Odd had shown no signs of remembering her. Not that they should, of course not. And, now that she was thinking about it, was Yumi remembering the truth? She'd never said anything about being in love with her before, after all...


	2. Not Going Away

**Title: Fragmented**

**Chapter 2: Not Going Away**

In the crowded lunchroom, Aelita felt just as isolated as she had been inside the virtual world. But this was fine, it was good because she could concentrate on her goal. That is, provided there were no further distractions from her former allies.

Aelita gave a small gasp as she saw Yumi heading toward her. The taller girl was looking at her, certainly. Could it be that inexplicable error again? Yumi's recollections had been seemingly instantaneous upon seeing her. It had been nice, even quite nostalgic, to talk to Yumi again. And having that kind of attention lavished upon her... Aelita felt that it had been odd, but pleasant.

As a blush came across Aelita's face, Yumi finally came close to her... Only to pass, then greeting those who Aelita recognized as Yumi's classmates. She hadn't even given her a second glance, Aelita noticed, with relief, though still some disappointment.

It seemed wrong to have her at lunch without the others... Aelita now glanced toward Odd and Ulrich, also surrounded by those from their classroom, Jeremy not included. Aelita couldn't observe him anywhere in the lunchroom. It wasn't surprising, even without Lyoko, Jeremy had the kind of personality to pick up some other all-absorbing hobby. It was too bad that their tight bonds of friendship had to be destroyed along with their memories of Lyoko.

Aelita sighed to herself. Those four weren't her focus, not really, even if she could never forget what life had been like with them. Better than any other way of living, possibly. But there was a reason she had to return to Kadic, and it wasn't to see them, or anything that would go along with that.

Coming to this place had to be a way of taunting her, Aelita knew. But she wouldn't be distracted. She'd sacrificed so much that there was nothing left to lose, no, not even here.

"Hey there, I couldn't help but see you standing here all by your lonesome. You new here?"

Aelita turned to Odd, ready to relive the same conversation she'd had before the return to the past. "I'm just visiting."

"Oh? Really? Visiting who? And even a pretty visiting lady has to eat something. Right? Why don't you come and sit by me?" Odd pressed.

"Sorry, I'm just not hungry," Aelita said, hoping to soften the blow to Odd's ego by saying so nicely.

But it just seemed to encourage him. "Okay, then maybe later, we can-"

"No, no thanks," Aelita brushed him off, moving away as she had before. It was better that they stay away. Though she tried to be unaffected, being around her former friends was kind of painful for her... And more importantly, was dangerous for them. She'd observed enough around here for the time being anyway, time to move on. Aelita took a few slow steps before exiting the lunchroom.

As Aelita exited, Yumi's eyes focused immediately on her. Her memory was restored again, though it was confused and full of holes... No, not holes, rather more like contradictions. It was as if she was remembering a former life. In this life, her social world had been different. Those who she was friends with now weren't really as close, only casual acquaintances. She'd known Ulrich and Odd as more than irritating lower classmen, and had actually been pretty good friends with him. There was also that other kid... One with glasses named Jeremy that she was sure she'd seen around, though never talked to.

Then of course, there was Aelita. The memory of Aelita was the pathway to all that was weird about her previous life. The strange other world, Lyoko, and her status as a warrior, saving the world. But was it really the world that needed saving? No, all they had to do was turn off that old factory's computer to do that. Their real mission had been to save Aelita. It put the world at risk... And guiltily, Yumi had really considered then that it was worth it. Aelita was the love of her life after all.

But having lived this all in a previous life didn't really make sense. Previous lives took place in the past, not the present. But still, Yumi was completely convinced that it all had happened. Still, why didn't Ulrich and the others remember it now? Why was she the only one? And more importantly, why did Aelita want her to forget?

Yumi had forgotten her again for a moment, but seeing her while waiting in the lunch line brought everything back. As well as how Aelita had requested that she not remember her. That hurt, enough for Yumi to ignore her for the moment, try and put things back together in her mind.

But it didn't really matter if Aelita had rejected her in this way. Yumi still wanted her, wanted to know her and be near her. And despite how Yumi had been treated, she was sure that in the other girl's own quiet desperation, Aelita needed her around too. Yumi stood up from the table.

"Hey, Yumi, you okay?" one of her friends asked.

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling much up to eating right now. I'll see you later," Yumi said before throwing out the remnants of her meal and heading in the direction that Aelita had gone.

She found her in the hall, surrounded by a trio of students. Yumi recognized one of them as Elisabeth Delmas, the principal's daughter, but she hadn't really talked to her much before, just known that she was disliked by some, but had been quite amiable during their few and short interactions. But right now she looked kind of cross as she talked to Aelita.

No, wait, Yumi did know her. A few bits of memories from the previous time came by. Elisabeth -- well, Sissi, had been kind of mean, then. She would have definitely stuck up for Aelita immediately during that time. But now, Aelita shouldn't know what she remembered... And the person she was now, not remembering anything, would...

"Hey, Elisabeth, what's going on?" Yumi asked, pretending not to notice that Aelita stared at her with an unsure expression.

Sissi twitched slightly at the sound of her given name, then spoke haughtily. "_She_," Sissi began, pointing at Aelita. "Doesn't belong here. She doesn't even go to this school. She's just lurking around here."

"Um... Oh. Maybe she had a good reason," Yumi suggested.

"I don't think so. I've heard she's trying to pass herself off as one of my relatives."

"Well, she doesn't seem that threatening to me," Yumi said, winking toward Aelita despite her misgivings. "But if you're that concerned, why don't you just tell your dad?"

"I will..." Sissi said, smirking at Aelita's obvious discomfort. "But first I want to know what she's up to, lurking around like a thief. Maybe if you tell me, maybe I'll let you go," Sissi offered, her mouth turning into a grin as Aelita began to look even more nervous.

Yumi rolled her eyes. Maybe the current her might be a little suspicious, but no matter what lifetime, she'd never let this obvious bullying go on right in front of her, would she?

"Okay, look," Yumi said, putting herself between Aelita and the others. "If you must know, she's my friend, and right now she's been waiting to see me. Anything else is really none of your business," Yumi said, staring down at Sissi.

Sissi stared back, frowning before she withdrew from the contest. "Fine," she said, and then only looked back to see Yumi and Aelita running away, hand in hand. "Don't think this is over," she said to the girls who now couldn't hear her. "That girl was lying," she said to her companions.

"Obviously."

"But why would she? It only makes me want tot know what the other girl was up to all the more," Sissi said thoughtfully.

Laughing, Yumi and Aelita finally rested on the park bench. Yumi then hesitated. She'd heard about the obnoxiousness of Delmas's kid before, but never really felt this enthusiastic about sticking it to her. Maybe she was also remembering something about that past life, on some level, when she would always nosily press to find out more about them. Yumi had always loved taking her down a peg then, she remembered. Though now she experienced some sympathy, thinking how it felt with Aelita was expecting her to be in the dark, for whatever reason.

"Um..." Aelita began shyly. Yumi looked toward her, and Aelita looked downward.

"Oh," Yumi said, and quickly released her tightened grip on Aelita's hand, blushing as she now looked away.

"Thank you for helping me there, Yumi," Aelita said.

"It's no p-" Yumi paused. "I- Well- How did you know my name?"

"There's no need to pretend. I can tell that you still know me. I guess I just know you too well for you to hide this from me," Aelita said.

"Well... Yeah..." Yumi said, uncertain how to respond from there. She was angry, but relieved and happy, maybe even a little hopeful at the same time.

"Of course, you understand why I had to do what I did."

"No, I don't, really," Yumi admitted.

"You aren't supposed to remember me, Yumi," Aelita said wistfully. "I tried to... I thought I had made sure of that."

"But why did you? I don't want to be separated from you."

"I didn't really want that, either. It was just something that I had to do, to protect you."

"Listen," Yumi said suddenly, in a firm tone. "I don't understand everything completely right now, but I do know that I support you. But part of supporting you is _being there_ for you. And for that, I have to remember you. As far as my own safety goes, I can make my own decisions. You don't have to protect me."

Aelita was silent for a moment, thinking. Yumi waited patiently until she spoke. "I'm not sure I agree with you, Yumi. You are a very important person. Most people are, I don't think there's a reason to risk them for my own battles. But I suppose if your mind is made up, and there's really nothing I can do for this matter, I may as well not shut you out of this situation."

Yumi smiled and nodded. "I'm never going to forget you... I don't think I ever could..."

Aelita smiled back, placing her hand gently over Yumi's. She tried to calm herself, thinking of how to explain the situation, and just how much exactly Yumi needed to know. Not that Aelita saw the point in hiding anything from her anymore, but it was a long and complicated story, with only a little information pertinent to the current situation.

For the moment, Aelita happily breathed in the clean air and enjoyed the silence, escaping into that nostalgia again. For all the fretting she had done, this situation wasn't really that bad. A real world ally could be very helpful to her. But of course, there was also her own selfish reasons for which she was glad to have reunited with her friend.


	3. A New Method

_Note: It's been a while since I've updated, but yeah, I still plan to continue it and finish it._

**Fragmented**

**Chapter 3: A New Method**

"Don't you need somewhere to stay? You need to rest, after all," Yumi said.

"No," Aelita said quickly, then gave a hesitant smile. "I don't exactly have time to sleep," she said.

"Uh, okay, that makes sense," Yumi said dubiously.

"You see, I can rest my physical body inside Lyoko as I work. Xana will never catch me unprepared."

Yumi stared at Aelita, mentally putting together some of her memories. "Um, can't Xana catch you in Lyoko? How would I come help you, then?"

"It isn't like how it used to be," Aelita spoke seriously. "I allowed myself to be pawn, both for my father and for Xana. Now I'm the one in control. Xana may be free of the supercomputer, but he's no longer allowed back in. Lyoko, and most of the digital, are now controlled by me."

"So, Xana can't-"

"Activate towers and harass the world anymore? No."

"Then what exactly is the threat here?" Yumi wondered aloud.

"Xana's become much like a human now, confined to the physical world. The problem is that he isn't human, he's a formless being. He can still take forms, and that's the only power he has left."

"That's it?" Yumi asked. She recalled that Xana could do a lot more before.

Aelita nodded. "Though it's weak when compared to his former strength, he's still very dangerous, Yumi. The physical strength of his forms are superior to humans, and there's also many people we wouldn't want Xana to replicate. But he can be a perfect duplicate."

"Like people in certain positions, where Xana could gain back some of the power that he's lost?"

"Exactly," Aelita said, smiling despite the gravity of the situation. She knew Yumi would pick up on things pretty quickly. "I haven't found a way to trap him yet, so until then I need to protect the real world from Xana. I can detect Xana's energy from Lyoko, so I can get a general idea of where he is. Right now, the only place he seems to go is Kadic."

"Kadic? Why?" Yumi wondered. "What can he do at some boarding school?"

"I'm not sure," Aelita admitted.

"Well, Kadic is connected to the factory, and supercomputer. Is that what he's aiming for?" Yumi suggested.

"No, there's no way he'd get past my new security, and he knows it, he's tried. Besides, I haven't detected anything nearby the factory, just the school. Have you seen anyone acting peculiar? Anti-social maybe? Xana's gotten better at imitating a human, but he still doesn't like to."

Yumi thought a moment, then shook her head. "No, the only thing out of the ordinary has been you."

"Oh. Well, now you'll know to keep an eye out. For now though, concentrate on getting some rest."

"Sure," Yumi said warmly, then leaning down a bit to give Aelita a warm hug. "Stay safe... Not that I have to worry about you, but I will." Aelita blushed pink, backing away as she gave Yumi a quick nod, and then hurried away without another word.

As Aelita walked away, she hoped that Yumi hadn't gotten the wrong idea. It wasn't that she was offended. There was nothing inappropriate or offensive about the hug, of course. It was just that Aelita knew the feelings behind it. Yumi was free to emote how she wanted, but Aelita wasn't. If she would feel something similar to Yumi was unknown, but she did know that caring about someone was a weakness. It was what had lead to her father's downfall, after all.

But despite knowing that it could only cause harm for both parties, Aelita I_did/I_ care about others. Enough to push away the little remaining connections she had. Yumi must eventually go, of course, but the mystery of her memories was one that could wait to be solved. There were other things on the table at the moment.

In the factory, Aelita heard a crash and squeaking of metal nearby. Her face maintaining a deadpan expression, she then became alert. "William," she said.

Aelita heard the slight crackling of William's formation behind her, but still maintained the direction of her stare. A flicker of light was seen, and as the figure came into view, Aelita saw that it had been the reflection of the dim light against his glasses. Aelita stood completely still as William leapt from behind her, attacking the newcomer. She watched them fight, and then took a few steps to approach him as William pinned him down. "So you're going to make this easy for me?" she asked.

"Absolutely not," the imitation of Aelita's former friend said, pushing William away, who flew across the room until he crumpled into a metal dumpster.

Aelita hardly flinched as Xana leered at her. William soon ran across the room, and then in front of her. Xana jumped back onto the platform, away from her. "I heard it," he said.

"Heard what exactly?" Aelita asked.

"Your assessment of my abilities. You may believe you've lessened my powers to that of a mere human-"

"Hardly," Aelita said. "I know full well what you're capable of. Even if you're now bound to the physical, like a human."

"Bound? I'm hardly bound, merely walled away from any Digital planes. Unlike humans, I'm not bound to the needs of the physical world. There's not a being in this planet as free as I am from your physiological needs... Not to mention those social needs. How long can you stand your self imposed isolation?"

"Isolation? I'm never alone, isn't that right, William?" Aelita asked.

"I'm always nearby, Ms. Hopper," William said.

Aelita smiled. "Well, as long as you're around," she said, motioning toward Jeremy's imitation.

The speed of the encounter and the dust in the air made it difficult to see, but upon seeing a image of Odd's Lyoko form leap onto the platform, Aelita could guess that it had gone much as expected. "Running already?" Aelita asked.

"Don't you get tired of the saaame game, Aelita?" Odd's imitator almost playfully hissed.

"I think it's quite obvious that I do, but that doesn't mean I'll default. Though if you're willing to..." Aelita said.

"Surrender? Ha!" Odd's voice gave a laugh. "I'm just changing things up, that's all." Standing up from his catty pose, Odd's image transformed into Ulrich's warrior form.

Unsheathing both swords, he menacing pointed them at Aelita. "I hate you, Aelita, more than I ever hated that other Hopper. I'll continue my long term goals after I've finished getting my revenge on you. I'll be what I've always meant to once you're no longer in the way."

"Ms. Hopper?" William said, looking toward her. Aelita held out her hand to signal him to wait.

As Ulrich's image sheathed the swords, he changed into Yumi now, and let out a laugh. "Do you think I can't tell your weakness to this one? Anyone can see your expressions and mannerisms change, and your constant heart rate increase tells me it's not acting. You're still very much a human, Aelita Hopper."

"William," Aelita said, clenching her jaw.

Though William acted instantly, Aelita could tell the result. Already Xana had disappeared. This game of getting to her on a personal, human level wasn't something that Aelita wanted to play, but she'd master it, the same as she had any other game Xana had put forth. Still, the idea of him getting to those important to her, getting to Yumi....

"He's gone, Ms. Hopper. And... are you okay?"

"Hm? I'm fine, William. Why do you ask?"

"You were frowning, and your complexion is off, and your readings say-"

"Am I that obvious even in the dark?" Aelita sighed.

"Ms. Hopper?" William said, furrowing his brow a bit.

"Come on now William, let's go," Aelita said, calmly walking toward the elevator. So a weakness had been exposed... She'd just work on eliminating it.


	4. Scattered Pieces

**Fragmented**

**Chapter 4: Scattered Pieces**

As Yumi walked onto Kadic's campus, she saw Aelita standing silently in seclusion by a tree. Yumi waved, and Aelita gave a slight wave back. Casually, Yumi began to walk over to her. A duo of obnoxious boys were walking the opposite way, the wrong way, for some reason.

"Hey Ulrich, I had this awesome dream last night!"

"About a girl, I guess. Just keep it to yourself."

Oh, Yumi realized. It was Ulrich and Odd. They really hadn't been so obnoxious before, not in the blips of her memories. They both seemed like people she could have relaxed around. Ulrich was actually kind of dependable in a way. And Odd... Maybe still obnoxious, but also fun. It was weird to think of them as her friends, but it was also a pleasant thought, in a way.

"No, no, not a girl. A guy actually..." Odd said.

"You should also keep that to yourself," Ulrich said.

"Ha! Not like that. We were in that old factory, you know the one? And we-"

"Keep it to yourself, Odd..." Ulrich said testily.

"Come on, just listen, it was cool! We-" As Odd and Ulrich passed Yumi, they stopped. "Oh, hi Yumi!" Odd said.

"Hi Odd," Yumi said.

"Cool, she remembered my name," Odd said, and Ulrich gave him a slight shove. To Yumi's disappointment, they turned around and began to follow her. "Ulrich wanted to see you," Odd said in a sing-song voice.

Yumi's first response a few days ago would have been a biting one-liner in order to quickly get those two out of her hair. But something about them being near her right now, it didn't inspire the annoyance of their usual conversation, but had her feeling completely different. She was almost relaxed around them, and so she said, "Oh yeah? What is it?"

"Go for it," Odd whispered loudly.

"With you around?" Ulrich hissed back.

"If you have something to say, then say it. I'm a kind of busy," Yumi said.

"Well, you know, there's the school dance coming up," Ulrich began.

"Uh huh," Yumi said, not liking where this was going.

"I'm not going with anyone," Ulrich said. "Uh, not yet. If you're not then-"

"Woah, wait," Yumi said. If Aelita wasn't back, or she didn't suddenly remember her, that would be one things. Yumi likely would have said yes, just for the fun of it. But since she had Aelita back, what would be the point of playing around like that? It wouldn't be fair to either of them. "You see-"

"Fine, I get it," Ulrich said. He frowned and stared at the ground. "I guess you're already going with William or something."

Yumi and Odd both opened their eyes widely, leaning over to Ulrich.

"What's that?" Yumi said.

"Who?" Odd asked.

But Ulrich seemed just as confused, perhaps surprised by his own words. "I dunno," he shrugged. "See you later, Yumi." As Ulrich sulked off, Odd hurried after him.

"Ulrich, Ulrich! That was the guy! I mean, I think..."

Yumi frowned, but then looked over to where Aelita had been standing. She was gone, now. Yumi sighed, and a quick glance to her phone let her know that she had not even five minutes to look for her. Instead, she walked off to class.

As Yumi walked into the distance, Aelita climbed out of her shabby hiding place up the tree, and came into plain view again, giving a quiet sigh of relief.

"Ms. Hopper?" Aelita heard William's slightly warbled communication.

"Yes William?" Aelita said.

"You came into sight too soon, you're heading for an upcoming conflict."

"Xana?" Aelita said, quickly looking over the area.

"Well, no, a human."

"Oh," Aelita said. Of course, Xana hadn't been showing himself around her much at all, the previous day aside. In his own way, though he couldn't possibly feel the actual emotion, Xana was afraid of her. And rightfully so. "Are we wasting our time here, now?" Aelita wondered aloud.

"No, when we first came onto campus this morning, I'm sure he was here, we just-"

William's voice was drowned out by the oncoming vocal assault. "It's you! What are you up to here, anyway?!" Sissi Delmas demanded.

"Aren't you late for class?" Aelita playfully teased.

"Nobody will care when they find out about you. What about your schooling? Hm?" Sissi demanded.

"I don't really have time for this, Sissi, I suggest you worry about yourself," Aelita said.

"And you know my name! Why are you so obsessed with me, anyway?" Sissi asked. "And you!" Sissi pointed to William. "You go to this school, right?" William looked at Sissi, bewildered as her finger waved in front of his face. "My dad's the principal, as you probably know. You'd better tell me anything you know about this intruder."

William took one step back, then looked at Aelita, who seemed confused and annoyed at his appearance. "I didn't ask you to take form," she said.

"Malfunction," William said.

"Let's go take care of it then," Aelita said. "Don't follow me," she said to Sissi with a friendly tone.

"Is that a threat? Oh, you just wait until word gets out about you!" Sissi said.

Aelita and William still walked calmly away. Sissi paused a bit, glaring at their unaffected forms a bit before turning and heading off to class. William glanced back at her retreating form. "Will this require a return to the past?" William asked.

"I'm more concerned about you at the moment," Aelita said. "Sissi can be mean, but I don't care about that kind of thing anymore. I'll have to ask Yumi if anything substantial came of her threats before I make a decision."

"Having Yu- Ms. Ishiyama around makes you happy, doesn't it?" William asked.

"William," Aelita sighed. How could someone who was around her at all times, and knew almost everything about her be so clueless at these times?

"Even if it's a little more stressful for you... You also seem a little happier."

Aelita bit her lip, refusing to respond to what William had said nor look back at him. Perhaps he was more tactless than clueless.

Across campus, Yumi sat, bored, as her teacher called out roll. She was near the middle of the list, so tried to pay attention as to not miss her name when he finally got around to her. He was in the C's somewhere now. Yumi closed her eyes, but opened them widely at the next name.

"Dunbar?"

Dunbar... It did sound familiar. "Dunbar, isn't that someone that _used_ to go here?" someone asked. The distracting buzz of conversation kept her from thinking about it too much, and the teacher soon called the class to order. Lessons went by, and Yumi was glad when lunch finally arrived. Though looking around, she couldn't see Aelita anywhere. Yumi frowned... Then decided that lunch itself could wait, and she was going to head to the factory to see if she could find Aelita.

Aelita was indeed at the factory, having been absorbed in several hours of trying to find out the error that had caused William's malfunction. She bit her lip and pulled her hair with frustration as test after test came back with nothing. Hearing the familiar mechanical sound of the elevator, Aelita went on alert, though she was more than happy for a break from this. "William, get back here now," she said.

William returned to Aelita's side just as the elevator doors opened. Aelita saw Yumi appear and stared ahead, waiting for William.

"Human," William informed, his voice crackling as he returned to his invisible state.

"Yumi... Hello," Aelita said tentatively.

"Hey," Yumi said pleasantly. "What have you been up to?"

"Well... Just doing some computer work," Aelita said, hoping that Yumi wouldn't press for details.

She didn't. "Since I saw you this morning, I guess," Yumi said. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No... But there is something I need to talk to you about," Aelita said.

"Sure, anything," Yumi said.

"This..." Aelita paused. Well, it was going to be difficult for Yumi, she might as well plainly come out with it. "This affection you have for me, it's bizarre," Aelita said. Her own lip trembled with regret as she saw Yumi's shocked face, and she had to look away. "I mean, not the... Feeling in itself..." Aelita paused. "I don't know why you're remembering things this way, but the way you believe it was isn't how things were," Aelita continued. It was the truth that Yumi's memories were somewhat distorted, and she had a right to know. Even if it would have been a dream come true of the Aelita of before. "But you didn't love me before, Yumi. You... We never were that way."

Yumi paused, thinking through this declaration of Aelita's. "Look Aelita, it's okay if your feelings have changed-"

"-That's not-"

"-But I still care about you!" Yumi shouted, looking Aelita in the eyes. "Me being there for you doesn't have to be based on a romance, okay? I don't have any conditions for that. Even if..." Yumi looked away, pained as she thought of her rejection. Suddenly, her eyes focused behind Aelita, her expression changing along with her thoughts. "William..." she said.

William put on a bewildered expression and Aelita inwardly cringed. If Yumi remembered things from how they were before, of course she remembered William. This could lead to a set of questions that she didn't really want to answer. William looked to Aelita for what to do, but Yumi only stared at William.

"You're..." Yumi put a hand to her chin, pausing a moment in thought. "William. Everyone's been talking about you lately."

Aelita raised her eyebrows. "Everyone? What do you mean?"

"I don't know... I've just heard a lot about him lately. From teachers, classmates, you know."

"That can't be," Aelita said. Of course William, like herself, didn't exist in this time. Just as there was no one in Kadic that recognized or knew her, with the exception of Yumi, the same should hold true for William. She'd assumed Sissi hadn't really recognized William that morning, but had she? This could certainly be trouble.

Upon that thought, the mechanical sound of the elevator echoed again throughout the room. "William," Aelita warned her companion to alert.

"Who's that?" Yumi asked, but the other two didn't answer.

Soon the sound changed as the elevator went down, and the doors opened. Out stepped a very familiar blond boy, who straightened his glasses as he looked around the room.

"Is he?" Aelita asked, though of course William would have answered anyway.

"Human," William confirmed.

Of course he was, Aelita realized. His inquisitive expression certainly wasn't typical of Xana, nor were his basic mannerisms. Though, Aelita thought, she would have preferred Xana to be standing there instead. In that case, she could have William chase him away, but since he was human, she'd have to get rid of him another way. Seeing the real Jeremy reminded her of how much she'd taken from others, and how she'd depended on other people's kindness to the point of their own suffering. She didn't want to be that kind of pathetic person, not ever again.

"It's just as I imagined it," Jeremy said. "I think I remember you," he said tentatively to Yumi.

"Hi Jeremy," Yumi said.

"Hi," Jeremy replied, not as sure about Yumi's name. "Who are you?" he said to Aelita, puzzled.

Aelita didn't respond, but was slightly relieved that things were the way they should be with Jeremy's memory. Though why-

"William, there's who I'm really surprised to see," Jeremy said.

William smiled as his creator, but just as soon turned to Aelita for her reaction.

Aelita wasn't sure what to do, she just sat questioning, why? Why was "everyone" suddenly remembering William? She couldn't let the truth about his fate come to light.


End file.
